Speak Chinese?

Hearing yet another news story that forced a mother to give up her baby girl under China's one-child policy, Hubby and I had the following conversation.

Me: We should adopt a Chinese baby.
Hubby: No. (Shakes his head.)
Me: Why not?
Hubby: We can't...we don't speak Chinese.
Me: (LOL)

Silly goose.

Everything Counts...

After Black Monday when the DOW dropped 500+ points and then again today for another 400+ points, this song came to mind again after a friend said that Depeche Mode's songs were socially relevent even today. Millions of people lost a huge chunk of their investments this week.

Giants like Lehman Bros. going under, Merrill Lynch being acquired by Bank of America, AIG being bailed out by the US government and the possible merger (MOE) of Morgan and Wachovia, it is a shake-up the financial world will not soon forget. This time, it's not a terrorism or a natural disaster to blame. We are now feeling the effects of the all around greediness that was rampant at the turn of this century.

What goes up must indeed come down.

The problem is, even those who didn't benefit from the inflated mortgage prices and unscrupulous lending practices of a few years back are going to feel the consequences as hard as those who did. We are in this hole because of people who "grabbed all they can" without a thought to long-term consequences.

Everything that we do does count and has a fruit or a consequence somewhere down the line.

Everything Counts by Depeche Mode

Remember these guys?

For no reason at all, this song popped into my head. I couldn't remember who sang it so I had to do an extensive search. It's from a band that was a one-hit wonder in the 80s. It didn't rank high in the US Billboard charts but was HUGE in Manila. There was a remake of this that you can find in Amazon, but nothing beats the original. Considering the days we live in, you'll actually find it quite relevant.

"State of the Nation" by Industry

This next song I saw this under the "related videos". From there, I went on an 80's roll. These are songs that I rarely hear on XM Satellite Radio's 80's decades station.

"Feels Like Heaven" by Fiction Factory


"Wishful Thinking" by China Crisis

I'll cap it off with one of my most favorite songs ever.

"The Ghost In You" by Psychedelic Furs

The little, pleasurable things in my life...

...these are the first 10 things to come to mind.

1. Sinking my teeth into a toasted onion bagel with crunchy onion bits on top, cream cheese and crispy bacon inside.

2. Watching a glorious sunset from my bedroom window and later seeing the moon cut its nocturnal path in the sky as I bid God and the world a good night.

3. Seeing my little pups happily yelp and jump to try and give me kisses as I walk through the door.

4. Driving during the early hours of the morning, not to work, but to a vacation destination and looking forward to days of vegging.

5. Walking into a squeaky clean house without having lifted a finger to do anything.

6. Being on a beach on a warm, breezy but sunny day, listening to the crash of the waves and the wailing of seagulls.

7. Having the pleasure of catching up with an old friend or relative whom I haven't seen in years.

8. Watching people I care about succeed in whatever they are doing and reach a milestone in their lives. Actually, they don't even have to succeed - just watching them try very hard with little fear already makes me proud.

9. Listening to people boldly tell the truth with no disrespect, reproach, or shame.

10. Going straight downhill on skis.

Method In His Madness (MBA for Hire)

His sign does not predict the end of the world or offer work for food. His sign says, "MBA for hire". He was standing across our building in the Boston Financial District with this sign and a backpack full of his portfolios. Some dismissed him as a nut but I approached him and asked for his resume. Instead, he gave me a portfolio with not only his resume, but reference letters from companies he's worked for, a one-pager personal statement and a really witty memo/cover letter. He has a job in a nearby state but wants to move to Boston and has taken every Friday off with the intention of standing in that corner until he gets a job. I showed the very well-prepared portfolio to one of our executives and she actually went in front of our building where he was standing and chatted with him for a few minutes. Once our pending job requisitions open up, she intends to call him in for a serious interview. A couple of hours later, one of our sales people approached me waving his resume, asking me to take a look at it. I informed him that I already did and have happily passed on his portfolio to our department heads that will be having jobs opening up soon. "If I had an opening, I would have hired him on the spot," he declared, and I agreed.

His resume shows a solid background and the rest of his portfolio showed a personality that anyone would love to have around. His standing there with a sign shows a willingness to do almost anything to get a job done. Who would not want that in an employee or a colleague?

I really admire the guy's self-esteem and fearlessness in looking for a job in this unconventional manner. He didn't want his resume to be in a pile somewhere waiting for someone to pick it up. He wanted to be different, to stand out and make an impression. And let me tell you, he did. Judging from the on-the-spot interviews he was getting every single hour he was standing there, he won't be there too many times more. He will be hired soon and whoever gets to hire him will be very fortunate.

Deceive to Achieve?

The media doctoring of the fireworks presentation of the Olympic opening which was actually shot on a another, clearer night in Beijing; a "cuter" little girl lipsynching "Ode to the Motherland" because the original singer, Yang Pei Yi, was deemed not "flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression" by the Chinese politburo; and to cap it off, the pre-pubescent looking female gymnasts that they all claim are the minimum age requirement of 16 when previous records in competitions in and outside China show otherwise. All are under 4'11" and 79 lbs - one of them 4'6" and 68 lbs.! I was a little shrimp at 16 but I was still bigger than that. These are a few incidents that have arisen and marred the 2008 Olympic Games in the eyes of many.

What other surprises await the world in Beijing? How many more will be uncovered and how many will forever remain hidden? Do you believe that the Chinese Olympic committee members are willing to deceive in order to achieve? Coming from a country where most of the world's fake/imitation apparel and accessory goods come from, you can guess where my inclination lies. Er...was that a pun? Never mind...

Oh, and Yang Pei Yi IS cute and adorable. I'm sure a lot will agree.

The Big Oh for Audie

My good friend and brother Audie Gemora is celebrating a milestone birthday today, at least in Philippine time - not quite yet here in the US but I couldn't wait to send his greetings.

I wanted to take the time to thank him for all that he's been to me - mentor, acting coach, director, choreographer, fellow castmember, churchmate, cheerer, sounding board, eating and movie buddy, true friend and big brother. Audie (along with Ninong Freddie Santos) was very instrumental in helping me develop as an artist and as a person by being a big brother from the time I was seventeen. He is one of those I can trust to gently tell the truth no matter how it hurts because he truly cares. Audie and I even shared a house, albeit at different durations. He moved into my place from Greenhills when I decided to move to Makati.

Auds, thank you for being there for me when times were light and, especialy when they were dark. I haven't seen you in years but know that you will always be one of the dearest persons in my life. I hope you have a beautiful and memorable birthday. May your cup runneth over as you mark this golden milestone. Love you, my brother.

I'm a wuss...

A few years back when we were thinking of buying a house, I was wishing for at least 1/4 of an acre of land. Instead, we found a house that we really liked, in an area that we loved, but on a land that's only a tenth of that. It isn't big at all but today and every single day we do yard work, I thank God for knowing better and not granting me my wish. Horticulture is not a talent that God has granted me nor do I have much love for it, so it was extremely convenient that the lawn and backyard were already professionally landscaped and all we have to do is maintenance. Easy, right? Er...not so much.

Last week, after spending time under the sun pruning some plants and trees in the backyard, I started to feel nauseated. Being not the type at all to get dizzy, faint or throw up, I spoke to a friend who was a nurse practitioner. She said that I was having the symptoms of sun-poisoning which could lead to a sunstroke. WHAT?! I'm Asian, I grew up in the sunny island of the Philippines and I have sun-poisoning? I guess I've been living too long in New England. She told me to have an icy bath, and drink lots of water with ice throughout the day. I've turned into a wuss.

Today it was forecasted to be cloudy and rainy, so it was quite safe for me to do some more yardwork. So after the rain, I continued some of the work that was left off from last week. I did some crab grass and weed-pulling for a couple of hours just on the front lawn. I figured it would be easier to pull and uproot because the soil would be soft. Boy, did I underestimate how easy this work would be. My fingers are raw despite the soil and wearing gardening gloves. I can barely type without my fingers aching at the touch of the keyboard. I know, I'm a wimp.

I look at my fingertips and and they're all pink and raw - definitely no hint of green there, whatsoever. Maybe I should leave this to the experts...

No Family Tree

I was emailing with a friend and she was telling me how she was creating her family tree. I told her that I don't have the energy to create mine as it will be a big, sordid mess. If I stick with the official "press release," then sure, I guess it can be a nice, little, neat tree. But, to create a true one is going to be a herculean task. I am quite sure an official one exists but I am not sure if my Mother's line is included in there. Still, it would be nice to see so I can imagine where we fit into all that.

You see, my mother is an only child with half-siblings on both sides - one side of which she is one of the youngest and one where she is the oldest. You do the math on what happened there since it's not rocket-science. She was adopted, raised and spoiled by a wealthy, childless couple who were relatives of her biological father, the sweet couple who were officially my grandparents.

Some of these half siblings accept her warmly and some not so much for reasons that only they and God truly know. Besides, I don't blame them as I don't know what they've been told or experienced. Our versions of the truth stems from what we've been told by our elders, right? I'm not sure how I'd react either if I were in their place. Maybe to some of them, she, and we, are a reminder of an episode in their family life that they'd rather forget or it may just be a simple thing of us just not really belonging in their eyes. That's fine. I'm sure we're all both richer and poorer for not knowing each other.

On the other side, it was her biological mother who did her best to keep away since she did not want her younger children to think ill of her for having a child out of wedlock. So we're pretty sure that my Mother will never appear on that tree.

Wow, writing this all out makes me empathize on the kind of emotions my Mother and everyone else probably had and the situations they contended with as they grew up, and still have now that they are growing old. I digress, though - that should probably be for a book of fiction one day "based on a true story." :)

Ours will probably be a phantom branch, a dotted line so I will eventually have to create one of my own. Do I really want to do that? Maybe - when I have the time and energy, sometime in the distant future.

If you got a voicemail like this, would you call back?

This was entitled "The Douchiest Phone Message in History".  *LOL*

This guy is a real piece of work, to put it nicely.  I was cracking up listening to this as I couldn't believe this was real.  Apparently, the meeting between this Dimitri and Olga took place in the Marina district in San Francisco and it happened in all of about two minutes.

I guess you can't make this stuff up, huh?  What sort of parents and village produce this kind of human being?  

I'm guessing Olga didn't give him a call back.  Yay, Olga!

Hubby's Special Day

When my husband's birthday comes, I'm usually the one who celebrates more than he does. Because on this day many years ago, God created my husband and I just know that He had me in mind. He knew that five years and twenty five days later, He would create a gal that would want a guy just like him. Ain't I special?! Haha!

We've spent many birthdays together and we've done all sorts of things. Today, we decided to forego the fancy dinner, get some subs and have a boxing match. Yup, you read right. We had a boxing match and I first knocked him out. He then came back with a vengeance and knocked me out twice. The second was so hard that my Mii did a back flip and went down for the count. I couldn't get up after that causing the Wii to declare him the winner. He beat me in all the other games too and ruled the roost the most of the night.

I figured I would let him win. After all, it is HIS birthday!

Cape Cod Stay-cation

A couple of weeks ago, we went on "stay-cation". Instead of flying off to some far off destination, we opted to stay around and just drive southeast for a couple of hours to take that much-needed break. With the economy the way it is, we thought it wiser to stay close by.

We decided to get to know Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard a little better and do some island exploring. We were in the mood for slow island living this year rather than a tight city-hopping itinerary. This time, we planned to take it easy and let our fancy take us wherever it wants at that moment. So whether it was gorging on seafood, waiting for a perfect photo opportunity, whale-watching, beach-hopping and riding the moped around Martha's Vineyard, we took our time and did a whole lot of nothing with gusto like two silly little kids.

Of course, as with most vacations, it ended all too soon. Now, we're back at home and work, but with new memories to look back and smile upon. This is one vacation that we actually had time for some rest. It sure makes for a nice change.

(Photo of Grey's Beach in Cape Cod courtesy of Hubby)

Isang Gabi, Walang Magawa Si P

I discovered the site when a friend asked me to listen to her rendition of a few songs. I decided to try it out! So, I put on the best jazz voice I could muster and went for it.

Missed lyrics, timing and pitch problems but what the heck, it was fun! Halata bang na mi miss ko nang kumanta? Mwahahaha!

To the twinkle in my eye

Many have incessantly asked us when we are going to have you, and in so many different ways. The questions range from the polite to just plain rude.

"Are you planning to have kids?"

"So when are you going to have a baby?"

"Why don't you have kids yet?"

"Are you able to have kids?"

"Is there something wrong?"

"Are you barren?"

It's the inevitable question we get because we've been married for years now but haven't had you. And frankly, up to this point, we have not tried. Why? We have so many considerations with one underlying reason. We love you too much that we want to be as ready as we can be. Yes, we've already been told that no one is ever ready for someone as special as you, but we certainly want to be as prepared as two imperfect people can be.

We've been ready physically for a long time. It would be quite easy to have you. Some people do it without even a thought. We want to be ready, though, emotionally, mentally and psychologically. If we are to be your parents, we want to be certain that we are in a stage that we are ready to give you not necessarily the best things in the world, but the best of who we are. We want to be in that state of being when we can practice true, and sometimes tough, love that exhibits patience, wisdom, joy, self-control and understanding.

Having you would be the most wonderful, life-changing thing that can happen to us, and we want you to enjoy having us as much as we will enjoy having you. We not only want to bring you up, but bring you out - the best of you. In the meantime, we're working on ourselves so that if you ever come around, we can show you love and life, and not just tell you about it.

Spring really sprung this year

I didn't understand why some people's favorite season is Spring until this year. You see, I never really experienced Spring in New England because it didn't exist, at least not since I lived here. All these years I've felt like it went straight from winter to summer, from heavy coats to tank tops, shorts and flip flops. Spring was something that happened in other places - something that I just read about.

This year is different. We are actually having a beautiful spring and the weather is comfortably cool. Our lawn and backyard are lush and our flowers are abloom longer. In the morning when it starts to get light around 5 am, the birds chirp merrily and the funny woodpecker pecks incessantly. In the evening, we have what I think is a nightingale serenading us to accompany the owl's very amusing hooting. It is like the world has come alive after New England's sleepy, long winter. It's the kind of spring that I have read so vividly described in books - the burst of life and colors after the grey and silent winter.

It has been quite a thrill for me to see it all unfold.

Scammers, Schemers, Spammers, Phishers

Today, I received a strange email from a friend's old email account. In it, he claims to be in Nigeria for the "Tinapa Opening Ceremony". The email continued that his money was stolen at the hotel by some armed robbers and that he had no money left. He asked the recipients of the email to please send him $2,500 for his mounting hotel bills that he will repay once he's back home from his travel.

Armed robbers supposedly stormed his hotel room and yet the hotel still charges him his daily hotel stay? I just laughed because it sounded ludicrous aside from the fact that in the Philippines, Tinapa is a kind of dried fish. Either he was sending a practical joke email or his email was hijacked by a Nigerian scammer. Hours later, he sends an email from his newer email address warning us that his old email address was hacked.

A few days ago, another friend looking for an apartment via Craigslist.org called me asking for advice. He said that a Pastor and his wife were subletting their apartment for only $600 while they were outside the country. It was such a good deal that my friend actually called the number in West Africa and spoke to this "Pastor". He had a heavy accent and was supposedly in West Africa (read Nigeria) with his wife on a prolonged stay. In the Craigslist posting, he said his wife was in Canada. Anyway, he couldn't show my friend the place because they were both out of the country but would send him the keys after he sends the money for the deposit and rent. This one smelled as bad as the "Tinapa Opening ceremony". I told him to continue looking and stop wasting his time with this "Pastor".

A few months back when Hubby posted something to sell on Ebay, he was contacted by someone who supposedly wanted to buy his item but would send him an international money order for an amount bigger than what he was asking for, but asked that Hubby give himself a big tip and return the balance to the supposed buyer via another international money order. The tone of the email had the same kind of writing that usually came with the original Nigerian email scam promising millions of dollars in a secret European account of a dead relative to a person who can pay for the processing fees to have it released. It has just evolved into many other forms.

These scams are now widely publicized, and have even been exposed by NBC Dateline. They even got a few of these scammers to come and meet them in London and Amsterdam for the "hand-off" of fees in exchange for part of the hidden millions. Everything was filmed via hidden cameras. Amazingly, a lot of people still fall for it - those hoping for a windfall of some sort.

Who doesn't want to get rich? I definitely wouldn't mind it. But if a business transaction sounds too good to be true, chances are, it is!

Who Am I? (Tagged!)

I was tagged by Charl. I think this is the first time I've ever been tagged or responded to a tag. I've added a couple of things, as well.

Here goes...

I AM … thinking of what the heck to write in this post.

I WANT … to pay off my debt.

I HAVE … the most talented friends in the whole wide world!

I WISH … to go to Bermuda.

I ENJOY … humourous banter.

I LIKE … quiet wit.

I HATE … arrogant people.

I FEAR … not fulfilling what God put me on this earth for.

I SEARCH … for my niche in life.

I WONDER … if gas prices are ever going down.

I REGRET … the ungodly choices I've made in life.

I LOVE … buffalo chicken wings.

I ALWAYS … try to look at the bright side of things.

I AM NOT … the same person I was 20 years ago.

I DANCE … to keep my muscles loose.

I SING … to get away from reality.

I CRY … at a drop of a hat.

I WRITE … to help me sort my thoughts out.

I WON … my husband's heart by being a goofball.

I AM CONFUSED … by people who don't think they can learn from others.

I NEED … to be surrounded by people who I can learn from and make me think.

I SHOULD … really moisturize. *scratch scratch*

THE LAST THOUGHT I GO TO SLEEP WITH IS … "Thank you, Lord."

That's it. I now tag Gigi Posadas, Ralph Pena, and Ariel Reonal. You're it, guys!

Becoming Coupon Crazy

I used to only use the coupons for clothing, drug, book and electronic stores. I found that those were the ones that offered worthwhile discounts when we shopped, be it Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Borders, etc. Lately, I've started to pay more close attention to the grocery store coupons that I receive in the mail, especially after I saw a special segment on America's Cheapest Family - the Economides, a family of 7 living on a $35K a year with no consumer debt.

For about a year, I had been receiving coupon books from BJs, a wholesale club here, but due to my impatience to browse and cut coupons, I never paid attention to them and it went to the trash as fast as it came, along with all junk mail. A few weeks ago, inspired by the Economides, I took the time to flip through the booklet and cut coupons of the things I thought I might need. I brought them along on my next visit to the store. At the checkout line, I was amazed to find that I actually shaved $20 off our final bill after scanning in all the coupons I had!

I now use the pocket inside my bag to store all coupons and gift cards I have so I can pull them out at a moment's notice. I also google coupons online when I intend to make purchases. Getting the most out of our money is as thrilling for me as it is practical. With the price of oil inflating all other prices, it is worth the few minutes it takes me to check for coupons to get 5 to 20% off any purchase price! That's a few more dollars in our pockets and why wouldn't I want that? :)

“Third Party” Legislation – Homewreckers may become legally liable

Usually, a messy divorce follows an affair where the husband and wife duke it out in court for children’s custody, possessions, etc. while the person who is the cause of the break-up can walk away without much consequence.

Now, it may actually be possible for the wronged individual to also go after their spouse’s paramour for damages. Apparently, South Carolina is mulling over a law that would enable someone to sue the third party who caused the break-up of their marriage.

I think it’s a brilliant idea. A lot of people will think twice about something if it can hit them right where it will really hurt – their pockets. If a jilted spouse can prove that a person was the cause of the upheaval in their lives, then I think the homewrecker should be made to pay, literally.

In fact, I would bring it a step further. It should not be just the spouses who can sue but the children that come from the broken home, as well. Boy, I could think of a couple of women I would have happily taken to the cleaners. Their money and possessions in place of my stolen childhood. It still would not have been a fair trade but I would have taken it, nevertheless! :)

Our Madonna on Britain's Got Talent

Oh, anong say n'yo, mga kapatid???



Go, Mado! Ang luha ko umagos ha!

We'll be praying for you. :)